The Boston Celtics will start Marcus Smart in place of injured veteran forward Gordon Hayward per Celtics play-by-play announcer Sean Grande, but the big story of the Celtics – Philadelphia 76ers Game 2 is the change from former Celtic Al Horford to Matisse Thybulle moving into the starting lineup.
Thybulle’s defense has been a small silver lining in a rough, physical battle of a Game 1 loss, so adding the rookie defensive specialist to the starters could pay off if Smart continues with his cold-shooting streak.
With starting center Daniel Theis a non-shooter in the eyes of the Sixers until he shows them otherwise, pairing up another lockdown defender who has had better luck in small samples against the Celtics’ deadly wing duo of shooting guard Jaylen Brown and swingman Jayson Tatum could pay off.
Marcus Smart will start for Gordon Hayward tonight in Game 2.
It's his 13th career playoff start, and his first since Game 4 at Philadelphia in the 2018 East Semis.
Game 2 Starters – Aug. 19, 2020
Walker, Smart, Brown, Tatum, Theis
Milton, Thybulle, Richardson, Harris, Embiid— Sean Grande (@SeanGrandePBP) August 19, 2020
It could also go very poorly given Horford’s veteran experience and knowledge of Boston’s general schema.
Whatever the outcome, we are just minutes away from learning how it plays out, with tip off scheduled for 6:30 Eastern Time this August 19th.
